


Siren's Eye

by CoffeeCats



Series: Fundament [1]
Category: Destiny (Video Games)
Genre: Gen, the fundament is really just a big fun playground for fic writers if you think about it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-28
Updated: 2019-12-28
Packaged: 2021-02-19 03:47:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,259
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22004701
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CoffeeCats/pseuds/CoffeeCats
Summary: The Osmium siblings make an unexpected friend on the endless seas.
Series: Fundament [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2027179
Comments: 1
Kudos: 23





	Siren's Eye

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Gildedstorm](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gildedstorm/gifts).



> Secret Santa gift for Storm! I was given pretty free reign and thought this was a great opportunity to give the Fundament kids a visit! ^^

Aurash helmed the little ship alone. Somewhere below decks her sisters slumbered, lulled to sleep by the gentle waves and the exhaustion that comes from escaping your death once again. The same exhaustion and gentle waves currently sang their soft song to Aurash, trying to call her down into slumber. One of the lightning sails snapped in the changing winds and the sound roused her from a doze she didn’t remember entering.

She scrubbed her hands over her face and blinked her eyes in sequence. Left, right, middle, two around, three around - a little game of focus and waking she hoped would be stronger than the gentle lapping of the waves and slight motion of the ship. Part of her wished to go down, to wake her sisters, if for nothing more than company. After clearing the surface squall and the creatures hunting within it they were surrounded by the gently glowing ocean and the soft night colors of the ever-present storm raging high above. She thought her sisters might like to see it, but then thought they may like to sleep more.

She stood and stretched and peered out across the endless sea. It was difficult to tell where they were or where they were heading, but she thought they might be off course. A gentle nudge to the helm put the ship on a more suitable vector.

Something bright and pastel bloomed in the dark water in front of them and Aurash feared it was something new that wished to devour them. The ship swung to the side, sliding around the swirling, iridescent pink and green ribbons. Nothing lashed out or leapt for the ship and curiosity got the better of her. She crept to the railing and looked down into the water. It wasn’t immediately obvious if the ribbons were alive or if they were alive if they were intelligent. They were small, though, and seemingly docile. Something smaller even than the krill. She wondered how long the ribbons lived, if they knew or cared about anything outside their wave.

A long, low rumbling note echoed through the sky above and she looked up to see the lightning race through the clouds. The sails caught traces of the static and swelled with the energy, propelling the ship across the tops of the deep, black waves and away from the ribbon blooms.

Aurash sat against the railing, knowing the ship would sail fine on its own for a time. Somewhere she thought she heard old songs from her old home and hummed along as she lost herself in memories from before she knew the world was ending.

* * *

It was a massive crashing and a lurch to the side that woke her. Aurash scrambled for something to hold onto, something to stop her falling off the slanted deck and into the sea before she was even properly aware. Something grabbed her around the middle and hefted her into the air and she screamed. From below deck she heard Xi Ro’s hunting cry and the thundering footfalls of her sprinting to her sister’s rescue.

Xi Ro roared and then yelped in surprise and Aurash saw she’d been grabbed up as well. A deep rumbling laugh like thunder over gravel came from the creature holding them both.

“Easy, little warriors,” it said. “You will not be eaten tonight.”

Air rushed past them as the creature leapt up into the sky and Aurash instinctually dug claws into whatever appendage was holding her, fearing it would lie and drop her. It didn’t and after a moment more she and Xi Ro were gently deposited on a slick metal deck. Sathona stood nearby and hurried over as soon as the creature let go. 

“Haul it up!” the creature shouted, loud enough the siblings flinched. Something else shouted back in a language they didn’t speak and there was a great rending sound from below as mechanisms began to turn.

Aurash craned her neck to look up at the creature and a dozen curious eyes blinked back at her. The creature’s body was difficult to discern, both because of its size and the ever-changing hue of its skin that rippled and swirled in shadowy patterns similar to the whorls of the storm above. Its massive head dipped closer and two of the eyes swiveled to focus on her.

“First time in a siren’s eye, eh?” Its voice held amusement, but no judgement. “Lucky you that we were traveling through or you _would_ have been eaten tonight.”

“We would _not!_ ” Xi Ro snarled.

The creature laughed again. “You would so! Sound asleep below decks on a sinking ship you were, little krill.”

Aurash’s posture drooped at that. They’d been sinking, nearly eaten, because she’d fallen asleep when she should have been keeping them safe. Sathona put a hand on her shoulder - a gesture of sibling comfort and a reminder they were still alive.

“It’s up!”

The creature stood up and looked to the one who’d called out before its gaze shifted to the side of the deck. Aurash followed its gaze and saw their own ship dangling from hooks and cables, sea water dripping from its hull and pouring out from deep gashes in its side. Xi Ro hissed in fury and Aurash felt a wave of despair. There would be no more traveling in that condition. No way they could finish their quest or achieve any of their goals.

“Secure it and set sail!” 

The creature that had retrieved them seemed to be in charge. It also seemed to notice Aurash’s plummeting state of mind. The massive head ducked low again and a small tentacle tapped her in the chest. 

“Weep not, little krill. We sail for Kaharn and you’ll be able to repair your vessel there. Very lucky for you that we were the ones to find you.”

Aurash looked at her sisters, before taking a breath and straightening up. They were lucky indeed. 

The massive ship lurched as its sails caught the wind and static and jumped across the waves. Not facing death for the moment gave curiosity a chance to rise to the front of Aurash’s mind.

“What are you?” she asked. “How do you know the krill if we don’t know you?”

“We are sea-runners,” it said. “We know a little of every species that races across this endless ocean.”

“Do you hunt them?” Xi Ro asked.

“No,” it said. “It’s hard to hear tales from the dead.”

“Tales?” Sathona asked.

The decking shuddered as the creature settled its massive weight onto it. Taking a moment to arrange its limbs comfortably beneath it and resting its head on two folded appendages. It blinked and its eyes wandered to take in the three siblings and the storm above and the sea beyond. 

“Tales,” it repeated. “We have days of travel before we make Kaharn. If you would like to listen, I have some stories that may interest you. If you would like to speak, we may be able to fund some of your repairs.”

Aurash looked at her sisters. Xi Ro huffed and stomped off across the deck; the creature turned one eye to watch her go but seemed unconcerned. Sathona stepped closer and sat down in front of the creature; Aurash sat next to her. Both were interested in the prospect of hearing tales, though their motives differed.

“What kind of tales do you deal in?” Sathona asked.

The creature hummed, its modulating tone vibrating Aurash to her very core. “First I think I shall tell you of the siren’s eye.”


End file.
